Susan Mann ('86)
Susan Mann was the Senior Director for Intellectual Policy at Microsoft, Corporation, overseeing engagement on intellectual property issues, including patent, copyright and trademark matters. Before joining Microsoft in 2008, she served as Principal at Griffin, Johnson, Dover & Stewart where she Provided government affairs advice and resources for companies and associations in the music, motion picture and publishing industries.
Early in her career, Susan didn’t know which area of law she wanted to pursue. She considered practicing family law, and before coming to AUWCL, found herself working as a regulatory analyst for a trade association in the mining industry. It’s a far leap from her current role as senior director of intellectual property policy for Microsoft, and it’s a role she may have never found her way to had she not taken advantage of some unexpected opportunities after attending AUWCL.
For five years, Mann served as a public policy advocate for the National Music Publishers Association. Through that experience, she developed a deeper expertise in copyright and intellectual property law and policy, which eventually became her career path.
Now, having spent nearly 40 years practicing law in various settings, including 17 years at Microsoft, Mann is eager to use her expertise to lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of law professionals.
She is a WCL grad, a friend of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and a mentor to WCL students.